Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata)


Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

The Zebra Dove (Geopelia striata) is one of two species of dove that visit our garden daily.  The other is the Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis).

The Zebra Dove was introduced in Hawaii from Asia in the 1920s.  They are very plentiful in our area.  In fact, large numbers of Zebra Doves literally mob our bird feeders at certain times of the day.

Pineapple - Not Quite Ready to Pick

Pineapple

Pineapple (Ananas comosus)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

We have a number of pineapple plants scattered here and there around our garden.  Each is in a different stage of growth.  It takes nearly two years to grow a pineapple from planting to picking.  Pineapples grown on commercial plantations usually are picked when they are still green, like the one in this photo.  They continue to ripen some during the time it takes to ship and distribute them, but they are never as sweet and juicy as the ones from our garden.  We let our pineapples stay on the plant until they are completely ripe -- a nice golden color, with juice starting to ooze -- then we pick them and eat them right away!

Scattered Offshore Showers at Twilight

Sky Watch Friday

twilight

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Last evening's weather forecast mentioned scattered showers.  The sky was clear all afternoon, but just as the sun was setting, some clouds began to gather over the ocean.  Shortly after the sun sank below the horizon, the sprinkles began offshore, and by nightfall an onshore breeze brought the welcome rain clouds over our hillside garden.

This is my first SkyWatch entry.

Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii)

Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii)

Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Yesterday I posted a photo of a colorful caterpillar that is the larval stage of the Oleander Hawk Moth.   Today's photo shows the adult Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii).   Don't you love it's camouflage suit?

We see only a handful of these large heavy-bodied moths around our garden each year.  This one was perched at the base of a stone wall.  After I took a few shots like this, I tried to move the moth so that I could photograph it from a better angle, but the moth would have none of that.  As soon as I touched it, off it flew!


Update: Here's a much better picture of an Oleander Hawk Moth.

Hawk Moth Caterpillar

Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii), larval stage

Oleander Hawk Moth, larva (Daphnis nerii)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

This colorful caterpillar is the larval stage of the Oleander Hawk Moth (Daphnis nerii).  We see just a few of these around our garden every year.  This one was about 2 inches (5 cm) long.   I love the great big eye spots.

The caterpillar in this photo is in the late larval stage.  Next it will become a pupa.  Eventually, when its development is complete, the adult moth will emerge.  Tomorrow I'll post a photo of the adult moth - the final product of this creature's metamorphosis.

Starry Wind Hibiscus

Starry Wind Hibiscus

Ruby Tuesday

'Starry Wind' Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

I hope people are not growing tired of all my hibiscus photos.  We have 28 varieties in our garden, and many of those are red, so they are obvious subjects for Ruby Tuesday.

This velvety red hibiscus blossom with the yellow 'star' in its throat is called Starry Wind.  It is a patented cultivar, developed by Florida plant breeder Wendy R. Bergman.  We have several of Wendy's hibiscus cultivars in our garden.  I posted a photo of the one called Candy Wind in July of this year.

I took this photo with my point-and-shoot camera, on the macro setting.  I'm quite happy with the result.   Don't tell the folks at Nikon!

Warbling Silverbill (Lonchura malabarica)

Warbling Silverbill (Lonchura malabarica)

Warbling Silverbill (Lonchura malabarica)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Here in Hawaii, this cute little bird is known as the Warbling Silverbill (Lonchura malabarica).   I understand that it's called the Indian Silverbill in Asia.  These are small birds, only about 4 inches (10 cm) in length.  They are plentiful in our area and they nest in trees and hedges all around our garden.

They're very social birds.  They visit our feeder and our bird bath throughout the day in pairs and small groups, and always seem to be chattering amongst themselves.  It's unusual to see one alone.   In fact, when this one perched on the top of this Areca Palm all by itself, it was a surprise.  Then I noticed its mate snuggled in amongst the fronds of the Areca, just below.

Pink Oleander in the Morning Sun

Nerium oleander

Oleander (Nerium oleander)
Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

One section of our property is bordered with a tall hedge of Oleander (Nerium oleander).  Oleander blossoms come in a variety of colors.  We have some white, yellow, red, and rose Oleanders, but most of ours are pale pink like the one in this photo.

Magenta Bougainvillea at Night

Bougainvillea

Magenta Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea sp.)
Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Most of my photographs are shot in natural light, but one evening I went outside in the garden to experiment with my camera's built-in flash.   I had never used the flash with my 55-200mm zoom lens, so I was interested to see what results I would get.  I took pictures of various flowers and shrubs including this magenta Bougainvillea.  I cropped the photo and re-sized it for publishing on the web, but I did not alter the color or otherwise tweak the image.   I'm very pleased with the color saturation here.

Cloudy Sky - An Hour Before Sunset

Clouds

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Cloudy skies often lead to pretty sunsets. On this day, though, the show began about an hour before the sun went down. The sunlight managed to penetrate the clouds and make a pool of bright light on the ocean's surface.

Royal Poinciana - Green Seed Pods

Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)

Ruby Tuesday
Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Seed pods are sprouting on the Royal Poinciana trees in my garden.   The new seed pods, which resemble long green beans, are between 12 and 18 inches long (about 30 to 45 cm).  The pods are green and soft right now, but later they will harden and turn brown as the seeds inside mature.

This is the latest photo documenting the seasonal stages of the Royal Poinciana.   In May I posted a photo of buds on a branch of one of the trees. In July I posted a photo of a single Royal Poinciana blossom, and another of a mass of blossoms on the same tree.   Later, I'll post a photo of the mature brown seed pods -- but as of today, the pods are green.

UPDATE:  Here is a photo of a mature Royal Poinicana seed pod.

Hawaiian Ki'i at Hale o Keawe Heiau

Hawaiian Ki'i

Hawaiian Ki'i
Location:  Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, Big Island, Hawaii

This is a close-up of a Ki'i -- a carved wooden image that guards the Hale o Keawe heiau (Hawaiian Temple) at Pu'uhonua o Honaunau on Hawaii's Big Island.  These figures, which had religious significance in the traditional Hawaiian culture, were placed at sacred locations.  In some other Polynesian cultures, a similar type of carved figure is called a Tiki.

Hale o Keawe Heiau

Hale o Keawe Heiau

Hale o Keawe heiau
Location: Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, Big Island, Hawaii

On the southwestern coast of Hawaii's Big Island is the Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park.  Pu'uhonua o Honaunau, also known as the Place of Refuge, is a sacred place of great historical significance in the Hawaiian culture.    Situated in the South Kona district, this is a 'must see' for visitors to the island.

This photo shows a structure on the park grounds called the Hale o Keawe heiau (Hawaiian temple).   A half-sized reconstruction of the original heiau, it is constructed in the traditional manner.  It has a frame made of 'ohi'a wood tied with coconut fiber, and a thatched roof made from dried ti leaves.   The original Hale o Keawe heiau housed the bones of deceased Hawaiian chiefs.

Update:  Here is a close-up photo of a ki'i -- the wooden figures that guard the heiau.

Hurricane Lily Hibiscus

Hurricane Lily hibiscus

'Hurricane Lily' Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinesnis)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Another hibiscus variety!   This one is called Hurricane Lily.  It's a cultivar of Hibiscus rosa-sinesis.   I took this photo with my point-and-shoot camera.

Sunset Clouds

sunset clouds

Location:  Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Usually when I photograph a sunset, I like to balance elements of the land, the ocean, and the sky.  On this particular evening, however, the best part of the sunset was aloft in the dense clouds, which were reflecting dazzling orange light as the sun eased below the hazy horizon.  I took the photo from my back garden, which has a view to the west over the Pacific Ocean.  The glowing clouds so dominated the view, that it seemed right to let them fill most of the frame of the photo, too.

Hawaii Belle Hibiscus

Hawaii Belle hibiscus

Hawaii Belle Hibiscus
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

Ruby Tuesday

This hibiscus variety is called Hawaii Belle.  It grew slowly for about a year after we planted it in our garden, but now that it is established, it produces a steady supply of ruffled red blossoms with ivory accents.

Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta)

Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta)

Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

In my neighborhood, there are more varieties of palms than I can count.  In addition to the palms that grow wild here and there, most people use at least a few palms in the landscape around their homes, and hardly anyone plants just one palm species.  On our property, the area between our house and the road is planted with assorted palms.   In fact we refer to that area as "the palm garden."  Our palm garden is composed mostly of Arecas, Triangle Palms, and Royal Palms, with a few examples of other species planted here and there.

The palm in the foreground of this photo is a Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta).   It is rather common here on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island, partly because it is easy to propagate and grow.  In fact, the local bird population plays a big part in propagating these palms.  The birds eat the fruit of this palm, which is about the size of a berry.  They digest the pulp of the fruit, but not the actual seed, which is very hard.   So, the seed is distributed via bird droppings, and some of those seeds sprout where they land.

It's not unusual to see one of these palms sprout in a crack in a sidewalk, the middle of a patch of grass, or a gravel driveway.  Some of these 'volunteers' are pulled up and discarded as nuisance plants.   Others are rescued and transplanted to more appropriate places.  The palm in the photo began as a volunteer near the edge of our driveway.  We saw it when it was just a few inches tall, and transplanted it to our palm garden.  It's now about 8 ft tall, but probably will turn into a giant over time.  There are trees of the same species in our neighborhood that are nearly 100 ft tall.

Bay Laurel - The Aromatic Evergreen

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis)

Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis)
Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

One of the cooking herbs we grow in our garden is Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis), also known as Bay Leaf.   It is an evergreen plant, producing a continuous supply of leaves year round.  This image shows newer growth at the end of a branch.

The new growth leaves are soft and tender, but do not have much flavor for cooking compared to the older leaves.  We do use fresh bay leaf in cooking, and we also harvest some leaves from time to time and dry them.   The dried bay leaves are not quite as pungent as the freshly picked ones, but each form has its uses.

Hawaiian Sunset Afterglow

Sunset afterglow

Location: Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii

One evening last week, we sat in our hillside garden to watch the sunset and take a few photos. I t was a nice sunset, but it was was one of those evenings when the sky was even prettier after the sun had dropped below the horizon.  For several minutes, practically every color imaginable was visible somewhere in the sky.   I cropped this photo and resized it for posting on the web, but the colors are not retouched.

Red 'Ohi'a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha)

'Ohi'a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha)

Ruby Tuesday

'Ohi'a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha)
Location: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, Hawaii

If you have not been to Hawaii, you probably never have seen this native blossom.  The 'Ohi'a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) is a Hawaiian endemic plant.   Here is a brief description from the University of Hawaii's Botany Department:
This extremely variable species may be mature and flower when only a few inches tall in bogs but may reach towering heights in other habitats. Leaves range from thick and very pubescent to thin and glabrous. Flowers may be either red, or less frequently, yellow. The species is the most pervasive native forest tree in Hawaii, found on all the major islands and in a variety of habitats. It is an important food plant for native birds.
I photographed this one along a hiking trail in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on Hawaii's Big Island.

Lichen on a Lava Rock Wall

Lichen

Lichen
Location: Honaunau, Big Island, Hawaii

I saw this wall made of lava rock.  It was almost completely covered by lichens.  I cropped the photo so that a part of the lava rock was visible.  As you can see, it's very porous, making it easy for the lichens to take hold.